Nuclear Safty Standards Review Request

We ask for updated review of all nuclear reactor safety standards. The inspector general of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission warns in a recent report that many nuclear power plants are not reporting some equipment failures to the government because of badly written or contradictory rules and industry compromises. From December 2009 to September 2010, a report said, the commission found 24 instances in which equipment problems were not properly reported. Though some reactors may have been built and try to follow strict safety standards, they are nevertheless vulnerable to any number of natural and man made disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to flash floods, droughts,solar storms and hurricanes. Recent disasters caused severe damaged to many of the 6 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leaving them without functioning primary, secondary, or tertiary cooling systems. The resulting core meltdowns and waste fuel rod storage has resulted in the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, soil, and water over the entire planet,forcing a mandated evacuation of a 50-mile radius surrounding the facility in Japan. This accident will be endangering many lives for decades to come. A recent report highlights 14 near misses in the USA where improperly implemented safety protocols nearly caused major problems. More troublingly, many of these standards were based on an understanding of our climate system that is now 40 years out of date. Today we know that climate change is making floods, droughts, and hurricanes stronger and more frequent, which means we must ask whether our safety standards, even when followed perfectly, are enough to prevent disaster. We ask for a updated safety standard review of all nuclear reactors by the International Atomic Energy Agency immediately. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957. Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the UN General Assembly and Security Counsel. We ask for updated review of all reactor safety standards by the IAEA immediatly.